By Fozzie
June 14 2013

Fozzie gives us a balanced report on our first Championship loss of the season, with happy Yorkshire players, pensive Middlesex ones and a little bit of resistance to avoid the innings defeat. And yet more dodgy lbws and some interesting thoughts about team balance. Thanks for keeping things in perspective.

It was little surprise after the events on the third day that our unbeaten run in the LVCC came to an end today.Sadly, though,it was less with a bang than a whimper as Yorkshire efficiently wrapped things up in the morning session. As I arrived at Lord’s at 10.30 the Yorkshire team were noisily playing football and touch rugby on the Nursery Ground, and were clearly full of good humour.  By contrast, Gus behind the Pavilion looked very solemn even by his standards.  I decided to have a day (or part-day) in the Pavilion, and fortified myself with coffee and a pastry.

As I took my place on the middle tier Sidebottom, Patterson and Plunkett came out to warm up, looking very much like men who were happy with heir lot and looking forward to the work ahead.  Few of our players were to be seen, but Robbo wandered back from the nets, tossing a ball from hand to hand – perhaps he was to be our secret weapon if the Yorkies got stuck on a raging turner later on?

Two years ago I saw Dex and Simmo rescue us from a difficult position against Surrey with a match-winning stand in which both scored centuries. A repeat would be very welcome, though it seemed unlikely.  Starting the day still 78 runs in arrears, at least two batsmen needed to stay in for a long time if the match was to be saved.  Or of course there was always the hope of rain… 

Sidebottom opened from the Pavilion End to Dex to an attacking field, and Dex got underway for the day with an effortless cover drive for four. At the other end Patterson bowled to Simmo, and a single brought up the 50 partnership.  A maiden over from Sidebottom to Dex followed – good accurate bowling, confident defence – but then Patterson had Simmo playing and missing.  He was now bowling with three slips, a short cover and a silly mid-off, and off the next ball Simmo obligingly popped a catch to Pyrah in the last of those positions.  Yorkshire had their early breakthrough. 

For a time Gareth Berg looked hopelessly at sea against Patterson, repeatedly playing and missing, and surviving one LBW shout by what can only have been a faint nick onto the pads.  Dex broke a spell of three maidens by another cover-driven boundary, and then the Iceman finally got off the mark with an outside edge when completely squared up by Patterson.  He followed this with a clump for four to bring up the 150, and it was a good contest between the pair.

 At the other end Dex had almost exclusively faced Sidebottom, and despite the bowler’s accuracy he had looked very comfortable.  But then he misjudged a yorker, trying to force it to leg but playing over the ball and losing two stumps. 155-6, and in a double blow for our chances of salvaging a draw the threat of rain rescinded and the sun came out. 

The pitch seemed to be playing well and not offering much assistance to Sidebottom and Patterson, but they had bowled well and hardly offered a loose delivery.  Then in a double change they were replaced by Plunkett and Rashid, which had the immediate effect of Plunkett trapping Ollie plumb for a duck.  An innings defeat seemed inevitable.  However, although Berg did not always read Rashid he clearly felt more comfortable facing him than Patterson, and he gave himself room to drive consecutive boundaries.  James Harris dug in, and then opened up with two fours in a Plunkett over to take the score past 200.

Plunkett strikes me as a restless bowler, always wanting to try something different but without the consistency or accuracy to be a constant threat.  It wasn’t a surprise when Patterson was brought back in his place, and again the change immediately struck gold as Harris was out LBW.  Harris looked distinctly disenchanted with this decision, and he pointedly gave Patterson a long stare as he returned to the pavilion.  The stand had been worth 41 runs, but though a good effort it was only delaying the inevitable. 

In the next over Berg tried to force Rashid over cover, but succeeded only in giving Pyrah another regulation catch.  At 209-9 the only issue now was whether an innings defeat could be avoided.  Murts and Corey had some brief fun, succeeding in taking the score past the deficit of 215 before Corey presented Rashid with a return catch and his fifth wicket, making the final score 219 and the target a mere 5.  The final six wickets had fallen in 1 hour 45 minutes this morning for the addition of 82 runs.

The players came out for Yorkshire’s innings before the ten minutes interval had expired, and had to wait for the heavy roller to vacate the playing area – obviously Yorkshire were taking no chances with any demons that may be lying dormant in the pitch.  Facing an opening attack of Ollie and Joe (with presumably Robbo being held back for the time being), Lyth and Lees played like men who knew that they had 68 overs in which to make the runs and saw no need to take any chances. The first three overs were maidens with the only runs being leg byes, and just as the prospect arose of the batsmen having to resume the run chase after lunch (which I suspect would not have gone down too well in the away dressing room, who were presumably looking forward to an early departure up the M1) Lyth clumped a boundary to complete the win on the stroke of one o’clock.

Those of us (myself included) who thought that Yorkshire would struggle this season without Root, Bairstow and Bresnan now have to reconsider.  They outplayed us in every department, and I couldn’t help reflecting on the variety that a good left-arm seamer and a leggie brought to their attack. 

Going down the pavilion staircase, I passed Buck, walking ahead of his team-mates and looking very pensive as he presumably reflected on how this had not turned out to be the departure he would have wanted.  I wished him good luck for the Ashes – though not too much luck, obviously – and wondered how critical it was going to be to lose our best batsman when much of the batting is looking so brittle.  Let’s hope we’re back on track by the time we take on Warwickshire in three weeks.